BS APSY-5

Assignment Of: psychopathology

Submitted to: Mrs. Sidra Ishtiaq

Topic : Anxiety Disorder

Submitted by : group 4(Arooma Yousaf, Amina Shaikh, Mahnoor Rasheed)

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Psychopathology
Anxiety Disorders
Includes disorders that share features of excessive fear and anxiety and related behavioral
disturbance.
Fear
 Is the emotional response to real or perceived imminent threat. (DSM-5)
 The Central nervous system’s psychological and emotional response to a
serious threat to one’s well-being (Ronald J. Comer, Abnormal psychology,
ed;9th)
 It tends to be about a threat that’s happening now.

Anxiety

 It is an anticipation of future threat (DSM-5)

 The Central nervous system’s psychological and emotional responses to a
vague sense of threat or danger (Ronald J. Comer, Abnormal psychology,
ed;9th)
 It tends to be about a future threat.
Fear is associated with surges of autonomic arousal necessary for fight-or-flight thoughts
of immediate danger and escape behaviors.
Anxiety more often associated with muscle tension and vigilance in preparation for future
danger and cautions or avoidant behaviors.
Anxiety disorders

Specific phobia Fear of objects or situations that are out of

proportion to any real danger. You feel
intense fear of a specific object or situation,
such as heights or flying. The fear goes
beyond what’s appropriate and may cause
you to avoid ordinary situations.
Separation anxiety disorders The individual with separation anxiety
disorder is fearful or anxious about
separation from attachment figures to a
degree that is developmentally
inappropriate. There is persistent fear or
anxiety about harm coming to attachment
figures and away from attachment figures
as well as nightmares and physical
symptoms of distress.
Panic disorder Anxiety about recurrent panic attack. You
feel terror that strikes at random during a
panic attack. You may also sweat have
chest pain and feel palpitations (unusually
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strong or irregular heartbeats) Sometimes;

you may feel like you are choking or
having a heart attack.
Agoraphobia Anxiety about being in places where
escaping or getting help would be difficult
if anxiety symptoms occurred. individuals
with agoraphobia are fearful and anxious
about two or more of the following
situations; using public transportation,
being in open spaces, being in enclosed
places, standing in line or being in a crowd;
or being outside of the home alone in other
situations.
Substance /medication-induced anxiety Involves an anxiety due to intoxication or
disorder withdrawal or to a medication treatment. In
anxiety disorder due to another medical
condition, anxiety symptoms are the
physiological consequence of another
medical condition.
Other specified anxiety disorder

Selective Mutism It is characterized by a consistent failure to

speak in social situations in which there are
a expectations to speak (e.g. school). Even
though the individual speaks in other
situations. The failure to speak has
significant consequences on achievement in
academic or occupational settings or
otherwise interferes with normal social
communication. The individual is fearful or
anxious about or avoidant of social
interactions and situations that involve the
possibility of being scrutinized. These
include social interactions such as meeting
unfamiliar people, situations n which the
individual may be observed eating or
drinking, and situations in which the
individual perform in front of others. The
cognitive ideation is of being negatively
evaluated by others, by being embarrassed,
humiliated, or rejected, or offending others.
Social anxiety disorder Fear of unfamiliar people or social scrutiny.
(social phobia) When you feel overwhelming worry and
self consciousness about everyday social
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situations. You fixate about others, judging

Generalized anxiety disorder(GAD)
Panic attack Specifier
you or on being embarrassed or ridiculed.
Uncontrollable worry for at least 3 months.
You feel excessive unrealistic worry and
tension with little or no reason.

Anxiety disorder due to another medical

condition

Unspecified anxiety disorder

Symptoms of Anxiety Disorders

 Panic, fear, and uneasiness

 Sleep problems
 Not being able to stay calm and still
 Cold, sweaty, numb or tingling hands or feet
 Shortness of breath
 Heart palpitations
 Dry mouth
 Nausea
 Tense muscles
 Dizziness

Causes
Researchers don’t know exactly what brings on anxiety disorders. Like other forms of
mental illness, they stem from a combination of things, including changes in your brain
and environmental stress, and even your genes. The disorder can run in families and
could be linked to faulty circuits in the brain that control fear and other emotions.
Treatment
 Medication; many anti depressants can work for anxiety disorders. They include
escitalopram (Lexapro) and fluoxetie (Prozac). Certain anticonvulsant
medicines (typically taken for epilepsy) and low dose anti-psychotic drugs can be
added to help make other treatments work better. Anxiolytics are also drugs that
help lower anxiety. Examples are Alprazolam (xanax) and clonazepam
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(klonopin). They are prescribed for social or generalized anxiety disorder as

well as for panic attacks.
 Psychotherapy; this is a type of counseling that addresses the emotional response
to mental illness. A mental health specialist helps you by taking about how to
understand and deal with your anxiety disorder.
 Cognitive behavioral therapy; this is a certain type of psychotherapy that teaches
you how to recognize and change though patterns and behaviors that trigger deep
anxiety or panic.

Managing Symptoms; These tips may help you control or lessen your
symptoms;

 Cut down on foods and drinks that have caffeine, such as coffee, tea, cola, energy
drink, and chocolate. Caffeine is a mood altering drug, and it may make
symptoms of anxiety disorder worse.
 Eat right, exercise, and get better sleep brisk aerobic exercise like jogging and
biking help release brain chemicals that cut stress and improve your mood.
 Ask your doctor of pharmacist before taking any over -the -counters meds or
herbal remedies. Many contain chemicals that can make anxiety symptoms worse.
 Sleep problems and anxiety disorders often go hand in hand. Make getting good
rest a priority. Follow a relaxing bed time routine. Talk to your doctor if you still
have trouble sleeping.
Managing and treating Anxiety;
Summary
 Anxiety disorders can affect a person’s ability to work, Study and
participate in other activities.
 Recovery is possible with the appropriate treatment.
 Some ways to manage anxiety disorders include learning about anxiety,
mindfulness, relaxation techniques’ correct breathing techniques,
dietary adjustment, exercise, learning to be assertive, building self-
esteem, cognitive therapy, exposure therapy, structured problem
solving, medication and support groups.
Learning about anxiety;
The old adage ‘knowledge is power’ applies here-learning all about
anxiety is central to recovery. For example, education includes examining
the physiology of the ‘flight-or-fight’ response, which is the body’s way to
deal with impending danger. For people with anxiety disorders, this
response is inappropriately triggered by situations that are generally
harmless. Education is an important way to promote control over
symptoms.
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Mindfulness
When feeling anxious, a person can spend a significant amount of time
caught up in anxiety-provoking thoughts. Mindfulness guides to bring
attention back to the present moment and unhook from thoughts that may
be unhelpful. Mindfulness is becoming more and more popular as people
start to realize how beneficial it is or a number of issues.
Relaxation Techniques;
A person who feels anxious most of the time has trouble relaxing, but
knowing how to release muscle tension can be helpful strategy.
Relaxation techniques include;
 Progressive muscle relaxation
 Abdominal breathing
 Isometric relaxation exercises.
Correct breathing techniques
The physical symptoms of anxiety may be triggered by hyperventilation,
which raises oxygen levels and reduces the amount of CO2 assists in the
regulation of body’s reaction o anxiety and panic.
It can be helpful for a person, who suffers from anxiety to learn how to
breathe from their diaphragm, rather than their chest, to safeguard against
hyperventilation. The key is allowing your belly to expand as you breathe
in.
You can make sure you are breathing correctly by placing one hand on
your lower abdomen and the other on your chest. Correct breathing means
your abdomen moves, rather than your chest. It also helps to slow your
breathing while feeling anxious. By holding breath for a few seconds, also
helps to boost CO2 levels in blood.

Cognitive therapy

Cognitive therapy focuses on changing patterns of thinking and beliefs that are associated with,
and trigger, anxiety. For example, a person with a social phobia may make their anxiety worse
by negative thoughts such as, ‘Everyone thinks I’m boring’. The basis of cognitive therapy is
that beliefs trigger thoughts, which then trigger feelings and produce behaviors. For example,
let’s say you believe (perhaps unconsciously) that you must be liked by everyone in order to feel
worthwhile. If someone turns away from you in mid-conversation, you may think, ‘this person
hates me’, which makes you feel anxious.

Cognitive therapy strategies include rational ‘self-talk’, reality testing, Attention training,
Cognitive challenging and cognitive restructuring.
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This includes monitoring your self-talk, challenging unhelpful fears and beliefs, and testing out
the reality of negative thoughts.

Behaviour therapy;

A major component of behaviour therapy is Exposure Therapy involves deliberately

confronting your fears in order to desensitise yourself.

Exposure allows you to train yourself to redefine the danger or fear aspect of the situation or
trigger.

The steps of exposure therapy may include;

 Rank your fears in order, from most to least threatening.

 Choose to work first on one of your least threatening fears.
 Think about the feared situation. Imagine yourself experiencing the situation analyzes
your fears –what are you afraid of?
 Work out a plan that includes a number of small steps-for example, gradually decrease
the distance between yourself and the feared situation or object, gradually increase the
amount of time spent in the feared situation.
 Resist the urge to leave. Use relaxation, breathing techniques and coping statement to
help manage your anxiety.
 Afterwards, appreciate that nothing bad happened.
 Repeat the exposure as often as you can to build confidence that you can cope.
 When you are ready, tackle another feared situation in the same step –by-step manner.
Dietary adjustment;
The mineral magnesium helps muscle tissue to relax, and a magnesium deficiency can
contribute to anxiety, depression and insomnia. Inadequate intake of vitamin B and
calcium can also exacerbate anxiety symptoms. Make sure your daily diet includes foods
such as wholegrain cereals, leafy green vegetables and low-fat dairy products.

Nicotine, caffeine and stimulant drugs (such as those that contain caffeine) trigger your
Adrenal glands to release Adrenaline, which is one of the main stress chemicals. These
are best avoided. Other foods to avoid include salt and artificial additives, such as
preservatives. Choose fresh, unprocessed foods whenever possible.
Exercise;
The physical symptoms of anxiety are caused by ‘fight-or –flight response, which floods
the body with adrenaline and other stress chemicals. Exercise burns up stress chemicals
and promotes relaxation. Physical activity is another helpful way to manage anxiety. Aim
to do some physical activity at least three to four times every week, and vary your
activities to avoid boredom.
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Building self-esteem;
People with anxiety disorder often have low self-esteem. Feeling worthless can make the
anxiety worse in many ways. It can trigger a passive style of interacting with others and
foster a fear of being judged harshly. Low self-esteem may also be related to the impact
of anxiety of the anxiety disorder on your life. These problems may include;
 Isolation
 Feelings of shame and guilt
 Depressed mood
 Difficulties in functioning at school, work or in social situations.

Community support organizations and counseling may help to cope with these problems.

Structured problem solving;

Some people with anxiety disorders are ‘worriers’, who fret about a problem rather than actively
solve it. Learning how to break down a problem into its various components-and then decide on
a course of action-is a valuable skill that can help manage generalized anxiety and depression.
this is known as structured problem solving.

Case
1
Hannah, age 55, was in a major car accident 20 years ago during a cross country trip. Ever since,
she has been unable to drive on major highways. Although she does drive, she goes to great
lengths to travel only on back roads and scenic routes. She is able to go where she wants but it
often takes her much longer to get there than it should.

Amy, age 38, is a worrier. She is restless, irritable and has difficulty concentrating. She worries
that she worries so much and isn’t always sure what it is that she is worried about. She can’t let
her husband or children leave the house without making them call her regularly to reassure her
that they are ok. Her husband is growing weary of her fretting. Her children can’t understand
what all the fuss is about. Their impatience with her only makes her worry more.

Answers

1: specific phobia

2: generalized anxiety disorder

References
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 Retrieved from, https;//www.webmd.com/anxiety-panic/guide/anxiety-disorders,(n.d.).

 Comer, R. J. (n.d.). Abnormal Psychology,(9th ed.).
 Kring, M. A. (n.d.). Abnormal Psychology,(12th ed.)